Bought a tractor!

[chrisser]

Last night we picked up a tractor from a guy about an hour and a half away.

It's a circa 1962 International B-414. Gasoline powered. Made in England. I was originally looking for an 8n, but this one came up on Craigslist and was in my price range. A little bigger than the Ns, it also has a hi/lo gearset giving it 8 forward and two reverse gears. Has a live PTO, disc brakes with a parking brake, a locking differential and a 3 point hitch (also has a drawbar but a piece is missing).

Came with a brush hog as part of the package.

Needs a little work, but not all that bad for a 50 year old tractor. Hope to take her down to our property in WV in a week or two and start cutting pasture.

[Wyobuckaroo]

Congratulations........................

PICTURES.......... WE NEED PICTURES...........

A couple sites that may have interesting info you could use.

TractorData.com

TractorHouse.com

For instance, your tractor, is 1961-1966. Tractor data has years by serial numbers.

TractorData also says the gas model is 12 volt with a positive ground........

Makes a big difference to know little details when you go to tinker with stuff.

Enjoy
Wyo (we NEED animated smilies)

[chrisser]

It's amazing how much info there is on the web about tractors.

This model is a little bit obscure, but at least the parent company is still in business. It was very popular in Europe and worse case, I can source parts from there and pay overseas shipping.

Also, Mahindra of India used this model as their first tractor, so they can be a source for some of the parts too, from what I gather.

I have some blurry pics from the Craigslist ad I'll try and post up. I couldn't find the camera, but my wife just told me where it is, so I'll get some pics tomorrow.

We expect rain tomorrow, so I spent the night cleaning the garage so I could get it inside. Just as it was starting to get dark, I was ready to drive it in - and it wouldn't start. Turned over, and I smelled gas - sure enough, no spark. Since I washed it, I figured something got wet. Checked everything for continuity (someone previously switched it over to negative ground) and everything checked out.

So, I pushed it into the garage until the big tires hit the threshold and couldn't get any further. Luckily, there's no clutch interlock (I think I'll change that later) so I could put it in gear, crank it, and get it the last couple of feet in. (Took me awhile and much head scratching to figure that out)

Pulled the cap and the points were sparking. I was ready to assume the coil was bad, as the coil wired checked out, but it turns out that the coil wire was assembled poorly and only one strand of the wire was actually touching the brass connector - enough to test for continuity, but apparently not enough to jump an arc. I took it apart and recrimped it together better, but I really need a new coil wire - probably have to get a new plug wire set.

So I cranked it a bit and it sputtered enough that I know it will start tomorrow, but it was too late by then to actually start the beast (it's a school night and there are plenty of kids in my neighborhood).

Hopefully tomorrow, assuming it starts, I can start trying to get the exhaust flange off and start building a new exhaust for it.

After that, I need to go over the brakes.

[chrisser]

Here are the Craigslist pics.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cFbcGrrkzm0/Tm-hlQ8_d3I/AAAAAAAAAek/Zr0eK_C5ezs/s400/untitled3.bmp

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3a7y8JXoE2Y/Tm-hlJHkKHI/AAAAAAAAAec/Fa3268Fhvck/s400/untitled2.bmp

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9EUIAu7kxEk/Tm-hky0WtcI/AAAAAAAAAeU/8g--ECsNKOY/s400/untitled.bmp

It actually looks a little bit worse in real life, at least for now.


I snapped some pics this morning but ran out of time before leaving for work - will post tonight if I can.

I got the dash disassembled so I can repair/replace the gauges and indicators, and remove the gas tank to get to the steering gear. Also removed the steering wheel and got the exhaust flange off.

Ordered some gauges, indicators, a new steering wheel, plug wire kit, miscellaneous bits, exhaust gasket sheet, and some 5/16 steel to make an exhaust flange.

[Old Rusty]

That is a pretty good lookin old tractor. Hope you have fun fixing it up.

[chrisser]

More pics:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4R707RkCmPg/TnADQxo6WFI/AAAAAAAAAfk/qOugDq2e-Mw/s400/P1010124.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sZ0o2-IjaOA/TnADQXJ7K1I/AAAAAAAAAfc/omGJDNxrWhA/s400/P1010123.JPG

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YPrPGRbsbBk/TnADPYO4HcI/AAAAAAAAAfU/N4jYp5_vkgc/s400/P1010122.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6wCkaEtbg54/TnAC2u22yKI/AAAAAAAAAfM/npXh4HcFFZ4/s400/P1010121.JPG

[chrisser]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r4AKiC6tuXY/TnAC2Gv80UI/AAAAAAAAAfE/Fa_rFh_-4Ws/s400/P1010120.JPG

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MBfQMPhKfsQ/TnAC1-fWJbI/AAAAAAAAAe8/qSKTJuNussU/s400/P1010119.JPG

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eGPL3kYMfI8/TnAC1X4yGNI/AAAAAAAAAe0/mUNz722OIVw/s400/P1010118.JPG

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pAjY4LZX6-k/TnAC0sjNvTI/AAAAAAAAAes/WlJPf6OLpB0/s400/P1010117.JPG

[Wyobuckaroo]

OUTSTANDING..................

Will make a good outfit for you.
Looks to be about a 6' brush hog type mower deck ?
What brand is it ?

I've been looking for a used (cheaper) 4' deck. Have the power and all to pull a 5' deck, but want the smaller one to be able to back it into places I want to grub out. Thinking it will be a little more maneuverable that way.

Good score
Enjoy
Wyo

[chrisser]

I haven't measured the deck and there are no identifying marks on it (although I haven't looked really hard yet).

Been sorta consumed by the tractor, but I'll get to the brush hog eventually. I believe some work has been done to it, but I oughta be able to figure out the gear box and some of the parts at least. There are enough resources out there if I need help.

I managed to get the hood off last night. The front end is all beat up and one of the headlights was nearly torn off. Have a lot of metal work to do to get it a bit presentable and back to full functioning. Trying to keep myself in check as I tend to go overboard more towards a restoration and this is definitely going to be a working tractor. But no sense letting it rust when a coat of paint will offer a litle more protection.

I got the combined intake/exhaust manifold off with surprisingly little trouble. Went to make a flange and it turns out my 3" piece of steel is 1/4" too short. Had to order a 4" and I won't get that until Friday. Would like to get the exhaust done over the weekend so I can start it up again.

[chrisser]

After poking around the web a bit, I believe the brush hog is most likely an older Howse.

But I could be wrong...

[chrisser]

Been making steady progress now that most of my parts and supplies are in.

Removed all the sheet metal and have been cleaning/scraping/painting everything. Engine's all painted up and the transmission back to about where the hydraulics start.

Drained all the fluids. Gear oil and hydraulic fluid were like melted chocolate in color and consistency. Hydraulic filter was so clogged with crud it had collapsed in on itself and torn (have a new one on order). Oil filter was missing a piece and the filter was just rattling around in the canister, not doing anything (fixed that with some pieces I had lying around).

Took off the valve cover and oil pan. Some of the rockers are a little on the worn side, but I'll see how it runs before I worry about it - I'm not even sure I can get replacements. Bottom end looks good, although the oil pickup was nearly clogged with crud. I'm going to run a detergent oil and seafoam through it and try to get the insides cleaned out, then change the oil again. Once I have it running, the lifters need adjusting.

I can't put the hydraulic fluid in until the new filter arrives - the filter is part of the hydraulic case. Can't run the engine without fluid in the hydraulics as the pump is direct drive and it would croak. I expect I'll have it running again before the end of the week and by then I hope to have everything done but the bodywork (rotted fenders and dinged up hood) and the wheel replacement.

I'll have more pics later, but it's coming along nicely. Just wish going to work didn't get in the way of my tractor tinkering.

[Wyobuckaroo]

Have read on some tractor forums, that Howse implements are considered VERY high end equipment......... Good score.
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I have heard of people who run a detergent through a motor and it causes problems. In that it loosens all the crud and dumps it into the pan, and it must be that they never get it all cleaned out. Then clog oil galleys, filters, etc and wreck the motor.

Be careful
Good luck
Wyo

[chrisser]

That's definitely a concern.

However, since the pickup was already clogged, I'm working on the assumption that someone already switched to detergent oil which caused a lot of the crud to let go.

Seems the best course of action now is to do my best to clean it out with as many oil/filter changes as is required while I have it in my garage. Worse case, I can tear it all down if I have to.

I'd hate to have it fail on me once I've transported it down to WV. I'd have to haul it back home again to do any real work on it.

At least now, with the filter actually working (and I will soon have a working oil pressure gauge), I can stand a good chance of catching the crud and dealing with the ramifications.

The only other alternative I can think of is to use non-detergent oil and hope any crud has let go, but then that's going to keep all the crud in there indefinitely. If I'm wrong, and the filter was clogged with non-detergent, then that process will continue and I'll end up with a clogged pickup again shortly. If I'm right, and the PO switched to detergent, then the crud has been loosened and I better get out what I can while I can do it easily.

[opsrto]

Just remember that it is easier to buy another tractor than it is to swap out implements...:)

That was the sound thinking that forced me into a larger barn.